Lawmakers helped build a Pro-Life culture, but the House, at first, ignored the biggest threat to women and preborn babies—abortion pills. The governor revived the issue at the urging of Texas Right to Life and our Pro-Life friends in the special sessions, and House leadership joined the Senate to combat this new threat.
The Pro-Life Scorecard evaluates each individual member of the Legislature. The scorecard shows each member’s votes, co-authorships of key bills, and other Pro-Life or anti-Life efforts, leading to a final score.
Find the full 89th Texas Legislature Pro-Life summary here.
Before Pro-Life bills or amendments are up for a House or Senate floor vote, we alert elected officials in advance that the vote could be scored on our Pro-Life Scorecard. We alert committees by testifying or registering on bills that might be scored. Not all votes on which we provided alerts end up on the scorecard, and no votes are included if we did not provide notice.
Votes are shown on the scorecard as they were taken on the floor. This is because the floor vote passes or fails a bill, regardless of changes made in the journal thereafter. However, members are given the opportunity to indicate their true position on a bill by placing a note in the journal. The vote changes are counted as Pro-Life or anti-Life journal notes.
Basic methodology for calculating the potential points per member:
- Pro-Life Priority Bill votes are weighed at 6 points per vote.
- Votes on non-priority Pro-Life bills and budget amendments are weighed at 3 points each.
- Votes on non-budget Pro-Life amendments are weighted at 2 points each.
- Procedural votes are weighed at 1 point each.
- Committee votes are weighed at 1 point each.
- If Priority Bills received a vote on the chamber’s floor, their co-authorship was not considered. However, if a Priority Bill did not receive a vote on the chamber’s floor, each bill’s co-authorship is weighted at 2 points each. Co-authorship of a bill is important because it can help legislation move through the process and indicates the elected official’s support when that bill doesn’t receive a formal vote.
- If a member was the primary author of a Priority Bill, the point for co-authorship of that bill is removed from consideration for the member’s potential score.
- If a member has an excused absence or was acting as Chair during a vote, that vote is removed from consideration for the member’s overall score.
- An unexcused absence during a scored vote is considered as a missed vote and counted against the member.
- Votes of “Present, Not Voting” aka “white lighting” on scored votes are counted against the member.
Additionally, bonus points are available for authoring a Pro-Life bill that meets our high standards for legislation. Authoring a priority bill earns a member 6 extra points, and authoring a recommended Pro-Life bill earns a member 3 extra points. Making a constructive Pro-Life speech on the floor earns 3 extra points. A Pro-Life note correcting a missed or mistakenly anti-Life floor vote reaps bonus points numbering the same value as that vote.
Penalties are deducted for authoring an anti-Life bill or amendment or making an anti-Life speech. These are penalized at 6 points per bill or amendment. Making an anti-Life speech on the floor results in a 3-point penalty. An anti-Life note correcting a missed or mistakenly Pro-Life vote reaps deducted points numbering the same value as that vote.
Most members have a brief individual commentary to explain their score further.
Senate Bill 31
Though Texas Right to Life supported the bill, votes on Senate Bill 31 are not scored due to misinformation and confusion sown during the floor debate. SB 31 provides extra guidance to physicians regarding abortion in cases of medical emergency, without adding loopholes in such cases. Unfortunately, the bill’s author falsely indicated that more preborn children would die as a result of this bill, causing Pro-Life lawmakers to vote against it. This was completely inaccurate and the bill remains a Pro-Life victory. However, the votes taken on this bill do not accurately or effectively indicate how Pro-Life each member was during the 89th Legislature, and thus not included on this scorecard.
Visit Texas Right to Life’s Pro-Life Scorecard to see for yourself how your elected officials voted on Pro-Life issues this session.
